Gaseous electric discharge device



v Patented May. 26, 1936 2,042,122 1 GAsEoUs ELECTRIC DISCHARGE DEVICE Hans Ewest, Berlin, and Georg Gaidies, Berlin- Pankow, Germany, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application September 29, 1930, Serial No. 485,059

o In Germany November 29, 1929 The present invention relates to gaseous electric discharge devices generally and` more particularly the invention relates to such devices of the positive column type in which the g seous electric 1,5 a chamber in the interior of the glass container of the device. A filamentary incandescent elec- .trode is arrangedv in said chamber, said electrode being the cathode. 'I'he anode is placed outside said chamber and in close proximity to the mouth v of a small diameter tube in" the walls of said chamber, the open end of said tube being above l the lamentary electron emitting cathode. The/ greater part of the discharge path is covered by the metal chamber and it extends from the cathode through the constricted tubel tothe anode.

Thus the only freely visible part of the gaseous discharge is between the mouth of the tube and the anode. That part of the discharge concentrated in the tube of small diameter is the luminous positive column and is visible only in they direction of the tube and is an extremely small,

brilliant and intense light source useful in the arts generally. Y

. In the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specication an embodiment ofX the invention is shown, in which K Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the invention,

partly in section,

'F Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of thestem,

40 the chamber and the anode members of the invention.

Like numbers' denote like 'parts in both views i being closed at one end Vby metal cap' Il) and at the other end by plate II made of insulation material to form a chamber enclosing filamentary electron emitting cathode l2. The support wires I3, I4 of said cathode .I2 pass through glass rods 5 is, ls extending fram stem ,2 tnroygninsmauon pate II vand are connected to current leads li,l 6. In the walls of chamber 9, I0, I I is a laterally protruding tube I1 of small diameter located above the cathode I2 and atA the greatest possible distance from said cathode I2, The anode I8 is 5 located underneath the end of the tube I1 in the container I said anode I8 being atransverse wire (Fig. 2) attached to a metal support I9 which is sealed into stem 2 and connected to lead 1. Container I is filled with the usual discharge conduct- 10 ing gases such as rare gases, or mixtures of such gases with common gases or metal vapors.

. In starting the device cathode I2 is iirst heated by connecting leads 5, 6 into the circuit. When cathode I2 is heated to an electron emittingA tem- 15 perature one of the leads 5, 6 is disconnected from the current source. The line voltage ofthe source is then applied to the cathode I2 through lead 5 or 6 and tochamber 9, III, II throughlead 4 coll!-l` nected to lead 1. An electric discharge is thus'zo established between the inner walls of chamberS, I0, I I and the cathode I2 to ionize the gas in said chamber 9, Il), II. This ionization of the-gas, as

-is Well known in the art, is of extremely short duration after the extinguishment of electric dis- 25 charge so that .the operation of disconnectinglead 4 from lead 1, so as to establishthe electric dis-A charge between cathode I2 and anode I8, must take place quickly. When this operation has been completed the electric discharge path between 30 cathode I2 and anode I8 extends (through tube I1 4 and dips downward to anode I8. That part of the discharge path passing through tube 7I1 is the luminous positive column; its brilliant and intense light is due to its concentration in the narrow tube 35 I1 and the high current Adensity it is possible t0 use in connection with the electron emitting cath- .ode I2. Though that part of the electric discharge path between the mouth of tube I1 and theanode I8 is freely visible the small point-like light source 4'0 y in tube I1 is visible through the opening thereof only in the direction of the arrow in Fig.,1. As the incandescent ,cathode I 2 is located below tube I1 none-of its emitted light is visible through the opening. f 45 The discharge,` as desired, is of the glow orthe arc type to suit the particular service for'which the tube is to be used. i w 1,

While this description and illustration disclose a particular embodiment of the device it will be 50 understood that various substitutions, modifications, and changes in the `form and details 'of the device and in its use and` operation may be made by those skilled inthe art without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the invention, 4for 55 example, the anode I 1, the chamber 9, III;` II and the cathode I2 may be arranged in other positions with respect to each other in the container I; furf ther, a, time switch or any other suitable switch means may be used to cut out of the circuit the, chamber 9, I0, Il, and the-anode I8 is, when desired, made annular and of wire or tu ing and arranged in concentric or parallel relation along the horizontal axis oi sai'd tube I1. f

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. The method of starting an electric discharge lamp, comprising a container, electrodes ber, another of said'electrodes being arrangedv outside of .-said chamber and adjacent the exterior end of said tube, which consists in connecting said chamber into the circuit as an anode during the starting operation and disconnecting said chamber from the circuit during the normal operation of the lamp.

2. In combination,.an electric discharge lamp comprising a container, electrodes sealed therein, a gaseous filling therein, a metal chamber in said container, said metal chamberA having a'constricted portionalong the discharge path between said electrodes, one of said electrodes 4being mounted in said chamber, another of said electrodes .being mounted outside of said chamber and adjacent said constricted portion and means to connect said. chamber into the circuit as an electrode during the starting period and to disconnect said chamber from the circuit during the normal operation of the lamp.

3. An illumnating'lamp comprising an envelope containing a heated electrode, an opaque chamber of conductive material within the' envelope enclosing said electrode, and an electrode without thechamber, said chamberbeing provided with a restricted open nipple to permit the discharge to pass between the electrodes, and

said nipple being directed so as to project light axially thereof through said envelope.

4. An illuminating lamp comprising a tube the end of said passage and containing a cathode, and a relatively long metallic passage through which the dischargeis adapted to pass, a metallic discharge nozzle at an anode adjacent and around said nozzle.

5. An illuminating lamp comprising an envelope, a metallic chamber therein provided with a metallic discharge nipple, a heated cathode in the chamber, and an anode beyond the nipple and provided with an opening in alignment therewith.

, 6. An illuminating lamp comprising an envelope containing, gas .under substantial pressure, a metallic chamber within the envelope provided with a metallic discharge nipple, a cathode within the chamber, and an anode beyond the nipple and .provided with an opening in alignment therewith.

'1. An illuminating lamp comprising an envelope, a metallic chamber therein provided with .a metallic discharge nipple, a hot cathode ionizer within the chamberand an anode without the chamber said nipple being directed so as to project light axially thereof through said envelope.

8. An illuminating lamp 'comprising an envelope containing gas under substantial pressure, a metallic chamber provided with a discharge nipple 'directed so as to project light axially Ithereof through said envelope, a hot cathode ionizer within the chamber, and an anode without the chamber.

9. An illuminating lamp comprising an envelope, a metallic chamber therein provided with ametallic discharge nipple directed so as to pro- .ject light axially thereof through said envelope, 

